Acting Prime Minister Michael McCormack has continued to come under fire for calling the U.S Black Lives Matter protests racial riots , and using the term All Lives Matter when defending his comments.
On Monday, Mr McCormack told ABC Radio the violence at Capitol Hill, which left five people dead, was unfortunate and similar to those race riots that we saw around the country last year.
Today he doubled down on the remarks, saying both the Black Lives Matter movement and the Washington riots should be condemned . It involves violence. It involves the destruction of property. It involves deaths of people, and any violence of that form is condemned. any form of violence, any form of protest that ends in death and destruction is abhorred. he told ABC News.
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However, McCormack on Tuesday made several appearances on television and radio to signal he was standing by his remarks.
“Amnesty International and others and I appreciate there are a lot of people out there who are being a bit bleeding-heart about this and who are confecting outrage but they should know those lives matter too,” McCormack told reporters, according to the AP.
“All lives matter,” he added. “People shouldn’t have to go to a protest and lose their life.”
McCormack’s comments continued to draw criticism from advocacy groups, with Amnesty International Australia’s Indigenous Rights Lead, Nolan Hunter, saying McCormack was “continuing to show his ignorance about what Black Lives Matter means and how it affects our mob right here in Australia.”
ABORIGINAL groups condemned Australia’s acting prime minister today for comparing the Black Lives Matter movement with the riot at the US Capitol building last week.
On Monday Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack, filling in for Prime Minister Scott Morrison who is away on holiday, said on Monday that the Washington DC insurrection that claimed five lives was “similar to those race riots that we saw around the country last year.”
“Amnesty International and others and I appreciate there are a lot of people out there who are being a bit bleeding-heart about this and who are confecting outrage but they should know those lives matter too,” Mr McCormack told reporters on Tuesday.
Australia s acting PM defends comments comparing U S Capitol attack with Black Lives Matter protests theglobeandmail.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theglobeandmail.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.